Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル, Batoru Rowaiaru) is a Japanese live-action film directed by Kinji Fukasaku released theatrically in 2000. The film is an adaptation of Koushun Takami’s 1999 novel of the same name, with the film’s screenplay written by Kenta Fukasaku, music composed by Masamichi Amano, and distributed by Toei Company.
Background:
“Presenting an alternate dystopian vision of turn-of-the-millennium Japan, Battle Royale follows the 42 junior high school students selected to take part in the government’s annual Battle Royale programme, established as an extreme method of addressing concerns about juvenile delinquency. Dispatched to a remote island, they are each given individual weapons (ranging from Uzis and machetes to pan lids and binoculars), food and water, and the order to go out and kill one other.
Every player is fitted with an explosive collar around their neck, imposing a strict three-day time limit on the deadly games in which there can only be one survivor. Overseeing the carnage is ‘Beat’ Takeshi Kitano (Sonatine, Hana-bi, Zatoichi) as the teacher pushed to the edge by his unruly charges.”
Plot Synopsis via Arrow Video, April 2021.
Kinji Fukasaku (深作 欣二), born in Mito, Japan in 1930, is known for his work on a number of action/yakuza themed films throughout this career. Before directing his final film Battle Royale, his most famous project was the Battles Without Honor and Humanity (仁義なき戦い, Jingi Naki Tatakai) series from 1973 to 1976 which covered five films and also received a sequel project not long after. He’s also worked on different genres outside of yakuza culture, like 1978’s Message from Space (宇宙からのメッセージ, Uchū Kara no Messēji) and 1978’s Shogun’s Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (柳生一族の陰謀, Yagyū Ichizoku no Inbō) which were historical and science fiction themed.
When Battle Royale was released, the idea of teenagers having to kill each other until one of them is the only survivor caused controversy to the surprise of no one, primarily because I don’t think any other director has tackled a theme or concept like this before in a theatrical film format that would be seen by many people globally. Granted Japan loves to take risks, especially when it comes to violence, sex and more like Takashi Miike‘s catalogue that ranges from family friendly films all the way to violent works that ended with some cuts or bans in some regions. There’s also anime of course which we know how that went back then (especially in the UK with Urotsukidoji). Interestingly there’s a manga adaptation of Battle Royale, also written by Koushun Takami, which is apparently pretty good according to the manga community but it’s been out of print for a very long time now.
Either way, Battle Royale was a success and a sequel eventually came along called Battle Royale II: Requiem (バトル・ロワイアルII 鎮魂歌, Batoru Rowaiaru Tsū: “Rekuiemu”) released theatrically in 2003. While Kinji Fukasaku did work on the film, unfortunately he passed away due to prostate cancer but he passed the work onto his son Kenta Fukasaku who wrote the first to direct the second. Battle Royale II: Requiem did receive some pretty negative reviews, but it didn’t stop Kenta Fukasaku from releasing a director’s cut version later on in 2009 called Battle Royale II: Revenge, which added more scenes and some amendments to the production.
Battle Royale has been licensed and released on home video multiple times by UK distributor Arrow Video. Ranging from their DVD release of the theatrical cut, to a Blu-ray limited edition including both the theatrical and director’s cut, a Blu-ray & DVD combo pack, then a standard Blu-ray that split up the theatrical and director’s cut across two releases, and years later a brand new limited edition release; this time for the 4K Ultra HD format (there’s also a Blu-ray version of the set for those who don’t own a 4K setup).
On a personal note, Battle Royale was gifted to me for Christmas a decade ago by a friend, and was my first venture into Asian Cinema. The DVD only covered the theatrical version of the film, so I’ve never seen the director’s cut nor its sequel.
About Arrow Video / Arrow Films:
Arrow Films, also known as Arrow Video, is an independent UK distributor for Asian Cinema, Spaghetti Westerns, Italian Cinema, Horror, Cult Classics and Action. Their line-up of films in the Asian Cinema scene includes the works of Chan-Wook Park (JSA, Oldboy), Hideo Nakata (Dark Water, Ringu), Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale, Battles Without Honour & Humanity), Takashi Miike (Audition, Dead or Alive Trilogy), Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman’s Curse, Horrors of Malformed Men), Yasuzo Masumura (Black Test Car, Giants & Toys) and also many individual films from Hirokazu Kore-eda, Jia Zhangke, Seijun Suzuki, Shohei Imamura, Tomu Uchida and more. The distributor also has a US branch which offers some of the same range as titles that are available in the UK. Their 2023+ line-up for Asian Cinema is quiet but will include The Executioner Collection from Teruo Ishii, a Bruce Lee 4K box set and once again more volumes of the Shaw Scope series.
Limited Edition Contents:
So I’ve mentioned it before that Arrow Video have released Battle Royale multiple times over the years. This box set is probably their most definitive release yet.
The rigid box set includes multiple digipacks that include a disc each, with two of them also including an additional physical item; a 52-page booklet in the same style as other Arrow Video first print edition releases and a fold-out poster, as well as a cardboard box that includes two sets of trump cards and a hardcover 120-page book that goes over the history of Kinji Fukasaku’s career written by Tom Mes.
There’s two versions of this limited edition release; a Blu-ray only version and a 4K Ultra HD only version. The difference between the two is whether you want to own Battle Royale in 4K or Blu-ray, as Battle Royale II: Requiem is Blu-ray only regardless of what version you choose. The SRP is £79.99 for the 4K version and £69.99 for the Blu-ray version and has a print run of around 3000 units. Once the print run is out of stock, this edition won’t be available. A standard edition 4K Ultra HD was released that omits the physical items. It is worth noting that Battle Royale II: Requiem remains exclusive to this limited edition release.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with clean artwork and digipack packaging
- Kinji Fukasaku: Man of Rage, a 120-page hardcover monograph on the director by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
- 52-page booklet featuring new essays written by Matt Alt and Anne Billson plus archival articles
- Battle Royale Original Soundtrack CD
- Reversible Poster with New and Original Artwork
- Battle Royale Trump Card set
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Arrow Video
Released: 26th April 2021
The limited edition release for Battle Royale contains the first film’s original theatrical version and special edition director’s cut across two 4K Ultra HD discs. Both discs feature a new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives by Arrow which Kenta Fukasaku approved. Dolby Vision HDR is also available on both discs with Japanese audio and optional English subtitles.
Also included is Battle Royale II: Requiem and its special edition director’s cut version Battle Royale II: Revenge across two Blu-ray discs. Both discs are presented with Japanese audio and optional English subtitles.
The 4K discs are all region, and while the Blu-ray discs are region restricted to Blu-ray players set to B.
4K Ultra HD Specs (Battle Royale):
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | 2160p Ultra High Definition format 1.85:1 aspect ratio Dolby Vision HDR |
| Region | All Region |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 2 BD-100s |
Blu-ray Specs (Battle Royale II: Requiem & Revenge):
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1.85:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 2 BD-50s |
4K Ultra HD On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: Battle Royale – Original Theatrical Version
- Audio Commentary by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
- Coming of Age: Battle Royale at 20
- Bloody Education: Kenta Fukasaku on Battle Royale
- Behind the Scenes Featurettes
Disc 2: Battle Royale – Special Edition Director’s Cut
- On Location Interviews and Featurettes
- Premieres and Press Conferences
- Battle Royale Instructional Videos
- Trailers and TV Spots
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: Battle Royale II: Requiem
- Bloody Graduation: Kenta Fukasaku on Battle Royale II
- On Location Interviews and Featurettes
- Premieres
- Trailers and TV Spots
- Image Gallery
Disc 2: Battle Royale II: Revenge
- A Tribute To Kinji Fukasaku
- Kinji Fukasaku’s 73rd Birthday: A Speech by Kenta Fukasaku
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Battle Royale is available to order across multiple retailers in the United Kingdom. The limited edition 4K Ultra HD has become harder to find and close to SRP in pricing, but it’s available on Amazon UK. The limited edition Blu-ray version is available on Arrow Video’s store and Amazon UK. Plus, the standard 4K Ultra HD release is also available on Arrow Video’s store and Amazon UK.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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